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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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SUPPLEMENTARY 



Language Lessons 



FOR 



<^RA^MAR £|RADE£ 



Mem Dry Lebsdhs, — Uictatinn Exetcises, — StnriES far RsprD- 

ductinn.—ExErcisEs in LsttEr U/riting, — Ward 

PictuTES, — Occupation LESsons, 






BY SARAH L. ARNOLD. A ^ 4 ^ 



BOSTON, MASS.: 
EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
43 MILK STREET. 



TEiiii 

.At7 



COPYRIGHT, 1886. 

BY 

EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
43 Milk Street, Boston. 



pre: face:. 

These Language Lessons have been tested and found 
helpful in Grammar grades. Their object is to supply 
varied practice work that shall always tend toward the 
end of language teaching — correct and fluent expression. 
They have been used in the following order : 

Monday.- — Letter Writing. 

Tuesday. — Memory Exercise. 

Wednesday. — Oral Lesson. 

Thursday. — Reproduction Exercise. 

Friday. — Essentials of Correct Writing. 

(Plurals, Possessives, Capitals, Punctua- 
tions, etc.) 

Every lesson contained also review drill on essential 
points of correct writing. A cambric curtain, sliding on 
rings, upon a cord stretched across the front board, is a 
valuable aid. The memory lesson or directions for writ- 
ing may be placed upon the board at the teacher's con- 
venience, and covered until needed. 

S. L. A. 



Alphabetical ^e/viory £[em£. 



A. 

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has 
been in the wrong ; it is but saying in other words that he 
is wiser to-day than he was yesterday. 



— William Penn. 



B, 



Believe nothing against another except upon good au- 
thority. 

— Taylor. 

c. 

Charities that soothe and heal and bless 
Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers. 

— Wordsworth. 

D. 

Dare to be true ! Nothing can need a lie, 

The fault that needs it most grows two thereby. 

— Herbert. 



E. 

Evil is wrought by want of thought 
As well as by want of heart. 



— Hood. 
F. 



Fear nothing but a mean action, 



G. 



Guard well thy thoughts ; our thoughts are heard in 

Heaven. 

— Young. 

H. 

Habit is a cable. Every day we weave a thread, until 
at last it is so strong we cannot break it. 

I. 

I dare do all that may become a man. 

Who dares do more is none. 

— Shakespeare. 

J. 

Judge not ; the workings of his brain 

And of his heart we cannot see ; 

What looks to our dim eyes a stain 

In God's pure light may only be 

A scar brought from some well fought field 

Where we would only faint and yield. 

— Proctor. 



7 



K. 



Kindness is the music of goodwill to men, 
and on this harp the smallest fingers may play 
heaven's sweetest tunes on earth. 

— Elihu Burritt. 



Look up and not down ; 

Look forward, and not backward, 

Look out, and not in ; 

And lend a hand. 

E. E. Rale. 

M. 

Make golden stairways of your weaknesses. 

— Edwin Arnold. 



N, 



No endeavor is in vain ; 
Its reward is in the doing, 
And the rapture of pursuing 
Is the prize the vanquished gain, 



0. 

One by one thy duties wait thee, 
Let thy whole strength go to each. 



— Longfellow. 



8 



P. 

Peace hath higher tests of manhood 
Than manhood ever man. 

Q. 

Qit ye like men ; be strong. 



R, 



Whittier. 



—Bible. 



Rest is not quitting the busy career, 

Rest is the fitting of self to its' sphere. 

'Tis loving and serving the highest and best, 

'Tis onward, unswerving ; and this is true rest. 

S. 

Sow good services ; sweet remembrances will spring 

from them. 

— Mme. de Stael. 

T. 

The tissues of the life to be 

We weave in. colors all our own ; 

And in the field of destiny 

We reap as we have sown. 

— Whittier. 

u. 

Unless above himself he can erect himself. 
How poor a thing is man. 



V. 

Very early in life I learned that the first duty is to grow. 

W. 



— Emerson, 



Without haste, without rest, 
Lifting Better up to Best. 

Y. 

You have only a lifetime in which to make a man, 
Take care of to-day. 

Z. 

Zeal without discretion is little worth. 



^jVtEMOF(Y £EJV[g 



I. 

He who blesses most is blest, 
And God and man shall own their worth 
Who toil to leave as their bequest 
An added beauty to the earth. 



— Whittier. 



10 



II. 

Lo, here hath been dawning another blue day, 

Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away? 

Out of eternity this blue clay was born, 

Into eternity at night will return. 

Behold it aforetime no eye ever did, 

Soon it forever from all eyes shall be hid. 

Here hath been dawning another blue day, 

Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away? 

— Carlyle. 

III. 

Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again, 

The eternal years of God are hers. 

But error, wounded, writhes in pain, 

And dies among her worshippers. 

— Bryant* 

IV. 

SONG OF THE STEAM. 

Harness me down with }'our iron bands, 

Be sure of your curb and rein, 

For I scorn the power of your pun} T hands 

As a tempest scorns a chain ! 

How I laughed, as I lay concealed from sight 

For many a countless hoar, 

At the childish boast of human might 

And the pride oi human power. 



11 



V. 



I blow the bellows, I forge the steel 

In all the shops of trade ; 

I hammer the ore, I turn the wheel 

Where my arms and strength are made ; 

I manage the furnace, the mill, the mint, 

I carry, I spin, 1 weave, 

And all my doings I put into print 

On every Saturday eve. 



— Cutter. 



VI. 



Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 

'Tis only noble to be good ; 

Kind hearts are more than coronets, 

And simple faith than Norman blood. 

— Tennyson. 

VII. 

Walk with the beautiful and with the grand, 
Let nothing on the earth thy step deter, 

Sorrow may lead thee weeping by the hand. 
But give not all thy bosom thoughts to her. 
Walk with the beautiful. 

VIII. 

Cheerful people live long in our memories. We re- 
member joy more readily than sorrow, and always look 
back with tenderness upon the brave and cheerful. 



12 



IX. 

O, many a shaft at random sent 

Finds mark the archer little meant, 

And many a word at random spoken 

May soothe or wound a heart that's broken. 

— Scott. 

X. 

Bear a lily in thy hand, — 
Gates of brass cannot withstand 
One touch of that magic wand. 

Bear through sorrow, wrong, and ruth 

In thy heart the dew of youth, 

On thy lips the smile of truth. 

— Longfellow, 

XI. 

Heaven is not reached by a single bound, 
But we build the ladder by which we rise 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 

And we mount to its summit round by round. 

— Holland, 

XII. 

I hold this thing to be grandly true 

That a noble deed is a step toward God, 
Lifting the soul from the common sod 

To a clearer air and a broader view. 

— Holland- 



13 



XIII. 

The stag at eve had drunk his fill 

Where danced the moon on Monan's rill 

And deep his midnight lair had made 

In lone Glenarteny's hazel shade. 

But when the sun his beacon red 

Had kindled on Ben Voirlich's head 

The deep-mouthed blood-hound's heavy bay 

Resounded up the rocky way, 

And faint, from farther distance borne, 

Were heard the clanging hoof and horn. 

— Scott. 

XIV. 

If thou art more and hard beset 

With sorrows that thou wouldst forget, 

If thou wouldst read a lesson that will keep 

Thy heart from fainting and thy soul from sleep. 

Go to the woods and fields. No tears 

Dim the sweet look that nature wears. 

— Longfellow. 

XV. 

One by one thy duties wait thee, 

Let thy whole strength go to each, 
Let no future dreams elate thee, 

Learn thou just what these can teach. 
One by one, bright gifts from heaven, 

Joys shall meet thee here below, 
Take them readily when given, 

Ready, too, to let them go. —Proctor. 



14 



XVI. 

I must away to wooded hills and vales 

Where broad slow streams flow cool and silently, 

And idle barges flap their listless sails. 

For me the summer sunset glows and pales, 

And green fields wait for me. 

— Geo, Arnold. 

XVII. 

I come from haunts of coot and hern, 

I make a sudden sail}', 
And sparkle out among the fern 

To bicker down a valley. 

With many a curve my banks I fret. 

By many a field and fallow, 
And many a fairy foreland set 

With willow, weed, and mallow. 

XVIII. 

I chatter over stony ways 

In little sharps and trebles ; 
I bubble into eddying bays, 

I babble on the pebbles. 

I chatter, chatter as I flow 

To join the brimming river ; 

For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 

— Tennyson, 



15 



XIX. 

The Mountain and the Squirrel 

Had a quarrel : 
And the former called the latter " Little Prig," 

Bun replied — 
** You are doubtless very big ! 
But all sorts of wind and weather 
Must be taken in together 

To make up a year and a sphere. 
And I think it no disgrace 
To occupy my place. 

If I'm not so large as you 
You are not so small as I, 
And not half so spry. 

I'll not deny you make 
A very pretty squirrel track. 

Talents differ ; all is well and wisely put. 

If I cannot carry forests on my back 

Neither can you crack a nut." 

— Emerson, 



XX. 

Strive ! Endeavor ! It profits more 

To fight and fail, than on Time's dull shore 

To sit an idler ever. 
But to him who bareth his arm to the strife 
Fiim at his post in the battle of life 

The victory faileth never. 



16 



XXI. 

For the lifting up of mountains 

In brightness and in dread ; 
For the peaks where snow and sunshine 

Alone have dared to tread ; 
For the dark of silent gorges 

Where mighty cedars nod, 

For the lifting up of mountains 

I thank thee, oh my God ! 

— Lucy Larcom. 

XXII. 

The snow had begun in the gloaming 

And busily, all the night, 
Had been heaping field and highway 

With a silence deep and white. 
Every pine and fir and hemlock 

Wore ermine too deep for an earl, 
And the poorest twig on the elm tree 

Was ridged inch deep with pearl. 

—■Lowell. 



XXIII. 

A traveller through a dusty road 
Strewed acorns on the lea ; 

And one took root, and sprouted up 
And grew into a tree. 

The dormouse loved its dangling twig, 



17 



The birds sweet music bore ; 
It stood a glory in its place, 
A blessing evermore. 



XXIV, 



—Mackay. 



A little spring had lost his way 

Amid the grass and fern ; 
A passing stranger scooped a well 

Where weary men might turn ; 
He walled it in, and hung with care 

A ladle at the brink. 
He thought not of the deed he did, 

But judged that toil might drink. 
He passed again, and lo, the well, 

By summers never dried, 
Had cooled ten thousand parching tongues 

And sa^ ed a life beside. 

XXV. 

Blessings on thee, little man, 
Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan, 
With thy turned-up pantaloons 
And thy merry whistled tunes, 
With thy red lip, redder still, 
Kissed by strawberries on the hill ; 
With the sunshine on thy face 
Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace, 



Mackay. 



18 



From thy heart I give thee joy, 
I was once a barefoot bov. 



— Whittier. 



XXYI. 

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers 

From the seas and the streams ; 
I bear light shades for the leaves when laid 

In their noonday dreams, 
From my wings ars shaken the dews that waken 

The sweet birds every one, 
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast 

Ere she dances about the sun. 
I wield the flail of the lashing hail 

And whiten the green plains under, 
And then again I dissolve it in rain, 

And laugh as I pass in thunder. 

— From the Cloud. — Shelley* 



XXVII. 

He prayeth well who loveth well 

Both man and bird and beast. 

He prayeth best who loveth best 

All things both great and small, 

For the dear God, who loveth us, 

He made and loveth all. 

— Coleridge. 



19 



XXVIII. 

To thine own self be true, 

And it shall follow, as the night the da}', 

Thou canst not then be false to any man. 

— Shakespeare* 

XXIX. 

Work away ! 
For the Master's e}~e is on us, 
Never off us, still upon us, 

Night and day. 

Work away ! 
Keep the busy fingers plying. 
Keep the ceaseless shuttles flying, 

See that never thread be wrong, 
Let not clash nor clatter round us, 
Sound of whirring wheels confound us, 

Steady hand, let woof be strong, 

And firm, that has to last so long. 

Work away ! 



— Mackay. 



XXX. 

In the world's broad field of battle, 

In the bivouac of life, 
Be not like dumb driven cattle, 

Be a hero in the strife, 
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow 

Is our destined end or way, 



20 

But to act that each to-morrow 
Find us farther than today. 

XXXI. 



— Longfellow* 



What doth the poor man's son inherit? 

Stout muscles and a sinewy heart, 
A hardy frame, a hardier spirit : 

King of two hands, he does his part 
In every useful toil and art — 
A heritage, it seems to me, 
A king might wish to hold in fee. 

XXXII. 

What doth the poor man's son inherit? 

A patience learned by being poor, 
Courage, if sorrow come, to bear it, 

A fellow feeling that is sure 
To make the outcast bless his door ; 
A heritage, it seems to me, 
A king might wish to hold in fee. 



XXXIII. 

In the elder days of art, 

Builders wrought with greatest care 
Each minute and unseen part, 

For the gods see everywhere. 



21 



Let us do our work as well, 

Both the unseen and the seen, — 

Make the house where gods may dwell, 

Beautiful, entire, and clean. 

— Longfellow, 

XXXIV. 

What plant we in the apple-tree ? 
Buds which the breath of summer days 
Shall lengthen into leafy sprays ; 
Boughs where the thrush, with crimson breast, 
Shall haunt and sing and hide her nest. 

We plant upon the sunny lea 
A shadow for the noontide hour, 
A shelter from the summer shower, 

When we plant the apple-tree. 



XXXV. 

What plant we in the apple-tree? 
Sweets for a hundred flowery springs 
To load the May-wind's restless wings, 
When from the orchard row he pours 
Its fragrance through our open doors. 

A world of blossoms for the bee, 
Flowers for the sick girl's silent room, 
For the glad infant sprigs of bloom, 

We plant with the apple-tree. 



22 



XXXVI. 

What plant we with this apple-tree? 
Fruits that shall swell in sunny June 
And redden in the August moon, 
And drop when gentle airs come by, 
That fan the blue September sky ; 

While children wild with noisy glee, 
Shall scent their fragrance as they pass, 
And search for them the tufted grass 

At the foot of the apple-tree. 



— Bryant. 



XXXVII. 

Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever, 

Do noble things, not dream them all day long, 

And so make life, death, and the vast forever, 

One grand, sweet song. 

— Kingsley. 

XXXVIII. 

Beautiful faces are those that wear, — 
It matters little if dark or fair, — 
Whole-souled honesty printed there. 

s Beautiful eyes are those that show, 

Like crystal panes where hearth-fires glow, 
Beautiful thoughts that burn below. 

Beautiful hands are those that do 

Work that is earnest and brave and true, 

Moment by moment, the long day through. 

— Allen. 



23 

IXL. 

A song for the beautiful trees, 
A song for the forest grand, 
The garden of God's own hand, 

The pride of His centuries. 

Hurrah, for the kingly oak, 
For the maple, the forest's queen, 

For the lords of the emerald cloak, 
For the ladies in living green ! 



XL. 

So long as the rivers flow, 

So long as the mountains rise, 

May the forests sing to the skies, 
And shelter the earth below. 

Hurrah ! for the beautiful trees, 
Hurrah, for the forest grand, 

The pride of the centuries, 

The garden of God's own hand. 



XLT. 

A glorious tree is this gray old oak, 
He has stood for a thousand years, 

Has stood and frowned on the trees around, 
Like a king among his peers. 



24 

As around their king they stand, so now 
Where the flowers their pale leaves fold, 

The tall trees round him stand arrayed 
In their robes of purple and gold. 

XLII. 

I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot master 
himself is worthy to rule, and only he can rule. 

XLIII. 

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, 
Arrives the snow, and driving o'er the tields 
Seems nowhere to alight ; the whited air 
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heavens. 

— Emerson, 

XLIY. 

Never a word is said 

But it trembles in the air, 
And the truant voice has sped 

To vibrate everywhere. 
And perhaps far off in the eternal years 
The echo shall ring upon our ears. 

XLY. 

Never are kind acts done 
To wipe the weeping eyes, 



25 



But, like flashing of the sun, 

They signal to the skies, 
And up above the angels read 
How we have helped the sorer need, 



LXYI. 

Never a day is given 

But it tones the after years, 
And carries up to heaven 

It's sunshine or its tears, 
While the tomorrows stand and wait 
Like silent mutes by the outer gate. 

XLVII. 

Over and over again, 

The brook through the meadow flows ; 
Over and over again, 

The ponderous mill-wheel goes ; 
Once doing will not suffice, 

Though doing be not in vain, 
And a blessing, failing us once or twice, 

May come if we try again. 



XLVIII. 

\ 

The bird that sings on highest wing 

Builds on the ground her lowly nest ; 



And she that doth most sweetly sing 

Sings in the shade when all things rest. 

In lark and nightingale we see 

What honor hath humility. 

— Montgomery, 

XLIX. 

There's no impossibility to him 

Who stands prepared to conquer everything, — 

The fearful are the failing;. 

— Shakespeare, 

L. 

Big words do not smite like war-clubs, 

Boastful breath is not a bow-string, 

Taunts are not so sharp as arrows, 

Deeds are mightier far than words are, 

Actions mightier than boastings. 

— Longfellow. 



^Dictation Le$;30N£. 



1. When I met Dr. Brown this morning, he said, "The 
bluebirds have come." "Where have you seen 
them?" I asked. U I saw one fly through Mr. 
Jones's yard this morning/ ' he replied. 



27 



2. If you go to New York, shall you leave by the 
Boston and Albany or the New York and New 
England Railroad? What will }'Our ticket cost? 

3. How many a's are there in Canada? 
Joseph's hat was lost in the brook. 
Lincoln is the capital of Nebraska. 

Mason and Dixon's line separates Maryland from 
Pennsylvania. 

4. Repeat the story o'er and o'er. 

" Whate'er it be, it seems to me, 

'Tis only noble to be good." 

Why is whene'er written with an apostrophe ? 

Hark ! 'tis the sound of a drum. 

5. Pekin is in China, Yeddo in Japan, London in 
England, and Paris in France. 

Do you know who said, " A penny saved is a penny 
earned ? " 

6. Thirty days hath September, 
April, June, and November ; 
All the rest have thirty-one 
Save the second month alone, 
That has just eight and a score, 
Till leap year gives to it one more. 

7. Little Ned was walking in the street with his mother, 
when they met a gentleman who knew him. The 
kind old man gave Ned some candy. " What do 



28 



you say, Ned?" was his mother's suggestion. 
"More," replied Ned. 

8. Mr. Smith's wife owns a parrot. Capt. Brown 
brought it from South America in his good ship 
Crescent. Its name is Polly. Like most others of 
its kind, it will shout lustily, "Polly wants a 
cracker." Mrs. Smith has taught it to say " good- 
morning." Have you ever seen a parrot? 

9. a. There are eight potatoes in the basket. 

b. I saw several ladies in the car. 

c. Here is your brother's hat. 

d. Franklin said, " Experience keeps a dear school." 

e. u Blessings on thee, little man ! 

Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan." 
/. What is everybody's business is nobody's busi- 
ness. 
g. There is a horse in their barn. 
h. The children's lessons are long. 

10. Proverbs are much used in ordinary speech. "A 
little leak may sink a great ship," was one of Poor 
Richards maxims. Those we know best are the 
proverbs of Solomon. ' ' A soft answer turneth away 
wrath," is one of them. 

11. There dwelt a miller, hale and bold, 

Beside the river Dee ; 
He worked and sang from morn till night, 
No lark more blithe than he, 



29 



And this the burden of his song 

Forever seemed to be ; — 
" I care for nobody, no, not I, 

And nobody cares for me." 

12. a. There are several ladies in the room. 
6. I saw two babies in the car. 

c. Daisies stow in the field. 

d. This class has five studies. 

e. Have you seen John's ponies ? 
/. Who said " consider the lilies " ? 
g. John saw some sleighing parties. 
h. Cranberries grow on the Cape. 

i. We shall have strawberries in July. 
j. The tories fought for the king. 

13. a. Potatoes grow in the ground. 
6. Tomatoes are red when ripe. 

c. Pianos are found at Mr. Brown's. 

d. We like to read of heroes. 

e. Do you know the mottoes of the States ? 
/. Some harbors are guarded by torpedoes. 

g. Volcanoes teach us about the earth's structure, 

7i. The ship brought large cargoes. 

i. The echoes were sent back from the rocks. 

j. The cameos were finely cut. 

14. A FALSEHOOD. 

First, somebody told it, 

Then the room would'nt hold it, 

So the busy tongues rolled it 



30 



Till they got it outside ; 
When the crowd came across it 
They never once lost it, 
But tossed it and tossed it 

Till it grew long and wide. 

15. a. Mary's books are at home. 

b. The men's tools are in the yard. 

c. Have you seen the dog's new collar? 

d. Who was Washington's playmate? 

e. These are Longfellow's poems. 

/. Our schools are our country's pride. 
g. " Our fathers' God, to Thee, 

Author of Liberty, 

To Thee we sing." 

16. This is Mr. James's house. 
Maud has Clara's pencil. 

" The books of the boys" may be written "the boys' 

books." 
A nations wealth is in its people. 
" Man's work is from sun to sun, 
But woman's work is never done." 
The pronoun " its " should never be 
written with an apostrophe. 
The dog has found his master. 
The bird is building its nest. 

17. Henry tries to study. 
George studies well. 
The swallow flies rapidly. 



31 



The thief defies the law. 

The child hurries from school. 

The assemblies have been dismissed. 

The river supplies the town with water. 

James applies his energies to his work. 

Success implies labor. 

18. Do you know the use of quotation marks? 

Where shall I find the expression " a sadder and a 

wiser man " ? 
Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress. 
Patrick Henry said " Give me liberty or give me 

death.' ' 
"E pluribus unum " is the motto of the United 

States. 
Which is better, " Two and two are four " or " Two 

and two is four ? 

19. Woodman, spare that tree ! 

Touch not a single bough ! 
In } r outh it sheltered me 

And I'll protect it now. 
'Twas my forefathers' hand 

That placed it near his cot : 
There, woodman, let it stand, 

Thy axe shall harm it not. 

20. A father said to his five-year-old boy, who came 
late to dinner, "Robbie, why are you so late? 
Did you not hear the bell?" "Yes, father" replied 
Robbie, but I didn't hear it plain." 



32 



£tof(ie£ 'pOFj Reproduction. 



1. THE MICE AND THE CAT. 

The mice in a certain house were in so great fear of the 
cat that they held a meeting to plan some means of es- 
cape from her. Many ways were suggested, but none 
seemed good. At last a young mouse proposed that a 
bell should be tied about the cat's neck, to warn them of 
her approach. "How good!" they exclaimed " Very 
good ? * — said an old mouse in the corner, " but who will 
bell the cat? " It is easier to plan than to execute. 



2. ANECDOTE OF WASHINGTON. 

During the Eevolutionary War, the officer of a littte 
band of soldiers ordered them to raise a heavy beam to 
the top of some heavy works they were repairing. They 
had much difficulty in obeying, owing to the great weight 
of the beam. An officer without uniform, passing by, 
said to the one in command, " Why don't you help them?" 
" Sir," he replied, pompously, "I am a corporal," 
" Ah," said the officer, taking off his hat, "I-I ask your 
pardon, Mr. Corporal." He then dismounted, and pulled 
with the men until the sweat stood on his forehead. 



33 



When the beam was placed, he said to the little great 
man — Mr. Corporal, when you have more of such work, 
and not enough men, send for your commander-in-chief, 
and I will gladly come and help you again." The cor- 
poral was amazed. It was General Washington. 



3. THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER. 

One cold day in the fall a starving grasshopper met an 
ant who was spreading grain in the sun to dry. The 
grasshopper begged her to give him a few grains to pre- 
vent his dying from hunger. " Pray, what were you 
doing all summer?" asked the ant. " I sang ;" replied the 
grasshopper. "If you sang all summer you may dance 
all winter/' was the ant's rejoinder. 



4. KING FREDERICK AND THE MTTIaE GIRL. 

King Frederick of Prussia, once visited a country 
school to see how well the children knew their lessons. 
Taking up an orange, he said " To what kingdom does 
this belong ? " "To the vegetable kingdom, sire," said 
a little girl. " And to what kingdom does this belong?" 
said he, holding up a golden coin. " To the mineral 
kingdom," she replied. "And to what kingdom do I 
belong, my child ? " asked the King. The little girl did 
not think it could be right to say the animal kingdom, so 
looking up she said — " To the kingdom of heaven." 



34 



5. A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 

A boy six years old was playing on a wharf with a 
Newfoundland dog, when he ventured too near the edge 
and fell into the water. The dog instantly plunged in 
after him, grasped his clothes, and brought him into the 
dock. The child was not unconscious, and he held on by 
the staging, but could not climb up, and the dog was un- 
able to get him out. The wise animal ran into a yard 
near by where a little girl was hanging out clothes. He 
pulled her dress and tried to persuade her to go with him. 
She did not understand, and was afraid of him. She 
tried to get away, but he pulled her by main strength to 
the wharf. She was ready enough to help when she saw 
the child's danger, and together the girl and the dog 
pulled him out of the water. The dog lapped his little 
master's face, sprang in again, and brought out his hat. 



6. CHARLES SUMNER AND THE PAGE. 

Charles Sumner was always kind and polite to every 
one. This story tells of his kindness to a young lad who 
was one of the pages in the senate, 

Mr. Sumuer received letters from all parts of the globe. 
The boy had a mania for gathering stamps, and as many 
of those on the Senator's letters were very rare, he asked 
Mr. Sumner if he would kindly place the envelopes in his 
desk, instead of tearing them and throwing them upon 
the floor. He replied that he would save them with 



35 



pleasure. The next clay be appeared with a large collar- 
box in his hand. He placed it in his desk, and whenever 
he received a letter with a foreign stamp, he placed the 
stamp in his box. 

Several weeks afterward he called the lad, and gave 
him the box filled with rare and curious stamps, saying — 
" If you will empty the box I will fill it again for you." 
And he was true to his word. 



7. CALIFORNIA TREES. 

Many interesting stories are told about the immense 
trees in California, One of the latest is, that in Santa 
Rosa -is a large church built entirely from timber furnished 
by a single red- wood tree. The interior of the building 
is finished in wood, there being no plastered walls. Sixt} 7 
thousand shingles were made from the tree after enough 
lumber had been taken for the house of worship. Another 
red- wood tree furnished shingles that required the con- 
stant labor of cwo industrious men for two years before 
the tree was used up. 



8. THE BOY AND THE WOLF. 

A boy who had the care of some sheep in a pasture 
amused himself by crying "Wolf! Wolf!" until the vil- 
lagers ran to help him. When they found there was no 
wolf near the pasture they went back in anger. At last 



36 



a wolf came and attacked the flock. The lad's cries were 
unheeded, for the people thought him deceiving again, 
and the wolf killed several of the sheep. 
What lesson did the boy learn ? 



9. THE SPARROW IN THE U. S. MINT. 

A bird house near the United States Mint in Philadel- 
phia has been occupied for two seasons by a bold English 
sparrow. The girls employed in the building, all of whom 
bring their dinners, became interested in watching his 
tricks, and allowed him to fly into the smelting room, to 
pick up the crumbs. One day a small boy peeped into 
the bird house to see if there were any eggs, and to his 
amazement found the inside flecked with gold dust, which 
made a shining yellow carpet. The sparrow had carried 
off quantities of gold dust in his feathers, and had shaken 
it out when he made his toilet. This was an expensive 
carpet for a bird house. 



10. THE SHOEMAKER AND THE BANKER. 

Once there was a cobbler who sang from morning to 
night. He was very poor but very happy. His neighbor 
was a banker. The banker had plenty of rnomry. He 
did not sing, for he was not happy. The singing of the 
cobbler alwa} T s woke the banker in the morning, and he 
wanted it stopped. So he sent for the cobbler and gave 



37 



him a large sum of money to be quiet. The cobbler took 
the money home, but he could not sleep, for he feared 
somebody would steal it. He grew sad and silent, be- 
cause he could not sing. At last he took the money arid 
ran to the banker's house. Giving him the money he 
said, u Take back your gold and give me my songs and 
my sleep." 



11. SUNDAY IN OLD PLYMOUTH. 

In the early Plymouth days every house opened on 
Sunday morning at the tap of the drum. The men and 
women, the former armed to the teeth, assembled in front 
of the captain's house. Three abreast, they marched to 
the meeting-house, where every man set down his musket 
within easy reach. The old men, the young men, and 
the young women, each had separate places. The boys 
were perched on the pulpit stairs or in the galleries, and 
were kept in order by a constable. The sermon was often 
three or four hours long, and at the end of each hour the 
sexton turned the hour-glass which stood upon the desk. 
After dismissal the people returned in file as they came. 



12. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. 

You have all heard the expression "Sour Grapes" used 
when speaking of something very different from grapes. 
Such use of the words came from this fable. 



38 



A fox once passing a vineyard saw some beautifu 
purple grapes hanging above his head. He tried for al 
long time to get them, but could not succeed. At last 
he turned away, saying : 4i I have no doubt they are sour. 
I would not pick them up if they lay in my way." 



13. THE SHEPHERD AND HIS DOGS. 

A shepherd owned two collie dogs that year after year 
faithfully aided him in the care .of his flocks. He was 
kind to them, and they loved him dearly ; and when at 
last he became ill they refused all food. Day and night 
they watched to see their master again, and grew thin 
and ill themselves as ten days passed and he did not come. 
The strength of the shepherd was fast failing, but his 
mother, in pity for the poor animals, told him of their 
grief, and begged him to induce them to eat. He could 
scarcely speak, but with great difficulty he called their 
names and pointed to some food. They took it, and 
every day, so long as their master lived, they came quietly 
to him to be fed. 



14. THE THREE WISHES. 

An old man and his wife lived in a hut in the woods, 
where they earned their living by gathering sticks. One 
night as they sat grumbling over their hard lot a fairy 
appeared to them and said: 'Fret no more, you may 



30 



have three wishes granted }'ou. Ask whatever you 
please." The old people were delighted, and began to 
plan as to what wealth they should have. The old woman 
stooped to rake the fire, and said unthinkingly "What 
fine coals ! I wish I had a yard of pudding to fry there." 
No sooner said than down tumbled a square of pudding 
upon the coals. "You old goose!" shouted her husband 
"to waste that wish ! I'm sure I wish the pudding was 
on your nose !" Up it flew and fixed itself there. They 
had now but one wish left. All they could do was to 
wish the pudding off again. So their wishes left them as 
before only that they were wiser. 



15. THE HERMIT. 

There was once a man who had a very violent temper. 
He said other people were to blame because the} r so an- 
noyed him, and therefore he would leave them and become 
a hermit. So he went to live alone in a wood, away 
from all people, and built a hut near a spring of water. 
One day he carried a pitcher to the spring for water. 
The ground was very uneven, and the pitcher would not 
stand. He tried in vain to make it, but the force of the 
falling water tipped it over. Growing angry he cried, 
"It shall stand, though!" and snatching up the pitcher 
he set it clown so violently that it broke in pieces. 

Then he saw he alone was responsible for his bad 
temper, and he resolved to go back to his home and con- 
quer it there. 



40 



16. A RAT WITH BRAINS. 



Mr. X. standing in his wood-shed one day, saw a large, 
brown rat darting away from a dog biscuit which lay on 
the floor. He decided to remain quiet and see if the thief 
of his dog biscuit would return. Presently he did, and 
slyly glancing at Mr. X., as if to say " you let me alone 
and I'll let } r ou alone," he began dragging the biscuit 
toward a slat partition which separated the wood-shed 
from the hen-house. He found it too broad to pass be- 
tween the slats. After trying in vain, he went away, and 
returned with another rat. Placing his friend on the other 
side of the partition, he tilted the biscuit wilh his paws, 
and rat number two dragged it through the partition. 
Then they drew it off in triumph. 



17. BRUCE THE NEWSDEALER. 

A newsman near Leeds, England, has a dog named 
Bruce. Every clay this dog may be seen near his master's 
stand holding a newspaper in his mouoh. When he sees 
some one he thinks would like a paper, he approaches him 
with an expression in his beautiful eyes that clearly says : 
u Buy my paper, sir? " Bruce always seems pleased and 
wags his tail with evident satisfaction. He never lets go 
the paper until his customer produces the money and 
offers payment. The dog trots back to the stand with the 
money in his mouth, and deposits it with his master. 
Then he takes another paper and is ready for business 
again. 



41 



18. THE CRAB. 



A crab once said to his son, "My son, why do you 
persist in taking so crooked a path ? Why do you not 
walk ia a straight one?" u Dear father," replied the 
young crab, " show me a straight path and I will walk in 
it." 

Example is better than precept. 



19. THE ARAB'S GIFT. 



A poor Arab travelling in a desert found a spring of 
clear cold water. He was delighted, and finding his 
draught most refreshing, he thought, " This is a drink 
fit for a king ; I will cany it to the Caliph." So he filled 
his leathern bottle and walked many weary miles to the 
royal court, to lay his offering at the Caliph's feet. His 
sovereign received him kindly, drank of the water and 
ordered his treasurer to give a handsome reward to the 
Arab. The courtiers now crowded around to partake of 
the wonderful water, but to their surprise, the Caliph for- 
bade them to touch a drop. 

When the happy giver had departed, the Caliph said, 
" During the travels of the Arab, the water became impure 
and distasteful. But it was an offering of love, and I 
received it with pleasure. Had you tasted it, your faces 
must have told him the truth, and I kept it from you, lest 
the heart of the poor man be wounded." 



42 



20. THE YULE LOG. 

The yule log is a huge log of wood that is laid in the 
fireplace on Christmas eve with great pomp and ceremony. 
It is lighted with a brand of last year's log, which is care- 
fully kept for the purpose. During the burning of the 
log there is much merry-making and dancing and telling 
of stories. If the log fails to burn all night, it is con- 
sidered a misfortune, and if a barefooted or squinting 
person comes to the house while it is burning, that is 
thought a bad omen. 



21. THE STONE IN THE ROAD. 

A duke once disguised himself and placed a great rock 
in the middle of the road near his palace. Peasants 
passed it by scolding at the lazy people who left it there. 
Soldiers turned to pass it, and stormed at the men who 
left stumbling-blocks in the way. All who saw it grum- 
bled because no one removed it. At last the duke called 
the people together around the stone. Lifting it, he 
showed them (lying underneath) , a bag of gold. On the 
bag was written, 4i For him who lifts the stone." 

Why had all lost the prize ? 



22. THE FABLE OF THE BUNDLE OF STICKS. 

A dying father called his sons about him and ordered a 
bundle of sticks to be brought. When they were brought 



43 



to him, he asked each of the boys to break the bundle. 
This none of them could. Then he gave them single 
sticks, which were easily broken. " Learn from this," 
said the father, " that in union there is strength, and 
never be divided by strife." 



23. A GREAT WRITER'S PETS. 

Charles Dickens had three pets, of which he was very 
fond. The happy family consisted of a jet black raven, 
an eagle, and a little white spaniel. 

The eagle lived iu a grotto in the garden. It was 
necessary to chain him, for he never ceased to try te 
escape. 

The raven took great delight in provoking the eagle. 
His chief pleasure was to swoop down at meal time, beat 
off the eagle's food, and taking a stand just out of reach, 
devour it with great gusto. 



24. A CLIMBING WOODCHUCK. 

A boy was once telling a story of a woodchuck. "is 
was chased by a dog," said the boy, " until it was nearly 
worn out with exhaustion, when it climbed a tree, and 
thus saved its life." 

"Tut, tut," said a listener; u do you know what you 
are saying? Don't you know that a woodchuck cannot 
climb a tree ? " 



44 



" I know, of course, a woodchuck cannot climb a tree, 
but that woodchuck had to ! " 



25. TIME IS MONEY. 

One morning, when Franklin was busy preparing his 
paper for press, a lounger stepped into his store and 
spent an hour looking over books. Finally taking one in 
his hand, he asked the shop-boy its price. "One dollar," 
was the answer. " No less," asked the man. "No; 
that is the price," replied the boy. 

After another hour of waiting, the man asked for Mr. 
Franklin. "He is busy," said the boy. "I want to see 
him," repeated the man. 

When Mr. Franklin came, the lounger held up the book. 
"What is the lowest price you will take for it?" he 
asked. "One dollar and a quarter." "What! Your 
boy said one dollar. ,? " True. It is a dollar and a half 
now. The difference will not pay me for having to leave 
the office." 

The man retired to consider the value of time. 



36. ABOUT THE MISTLETOE. 

The mistletoe is a shrub that lives or grows upon cer- 
tain trees, such as the apple, pear, hawthorn. It is found 
also on limes, poplars, firs and sycamores, but rarely on 
oaks. The white berries are full of a thick clammy juice, 



45 



by which the seeds are fastened to the branches where 
they take root. The plant has always been highly prized, 
especially at Christmas. The Druids thought that the 
mistletoe which grew upon the oak had magical powers. 
One of their priests dressed in a white robe cut off the 
precious bush with a golden knife. 



27. THE DEAN'S LESSON. 



A friend of Dean Swift's once sent* him a present by a 
servant lad who had often been sent on such errands 
before, but without receiving anything for his trouble. 

Having gained admission, the lad opened the study 
door and said rudely : " Master has sent you a present. " 
" Young man," said the dean, "that is not the way to 
deliver a present. Let me give you a lesson in politeness. 
Sit you in my chair, while I take your duty." 

So the dean went out, and returning immediately, 
knocked politely and said: "If you please, sir, master 
presents his compliments to you, and begs you will accept 
a small gift." "Does he?" replied the boy. "Please 
thank him for me, and here is a half-crown for your 
trouble." 

Thus, while the dean gave a lesson in politeness, he 
received one in generosity. 



46 



28. THE KING AND THE PEASANT. 

One of the early Mexican Kings allowed nobody to 
gather wood in the royal forests. One day as he travelled 
in disguise he met a boy gathering sticks in a field. 

"Why do you not go into the forest?" asked the king. 

"Because," replied the lad, "that is the king's wood, 
and he would put me to death for trespassing. He is a 
very hard man and denies to the people what God has 
given them." The king told the boy not to obey such a 
person, and promised not to betray him if he would gather 
wood on the forbidden ground. The boy refused and 
called him a traitor. 

Soon after the boy was summoned to the palace, where 
the king thanked him for the useful lesson taught, and 
changed the forest laws to allow the people more liberty. 



29. THE FAIRY MARTIN. 

The Fairy Martin is a cunning architect. Her house is 
placed against a steep rock out of reach of snakes, rats, 
and weasels, and is shaped like a bottle with its mouth 
downward. This keeps out storms and birds of prey. 
Its walls are made of mud and clay, but there is a soft 
lining where the eggs are laid. 

This bird lives in Australia. Many pnirs build side by 
side. Some say that six or more birds work on the same 
nest. One stays clinging to the rock while the rest fly to 



47 



the nearest pool for little balls of mud which they bring 
in their mouths. The mud is pressed, on the wall around 
the bird who stays at home When the nest is completed 
the happy band build another until all have homes. 



30. THE CROW AND THE PITCHER. 

A thirsty crow looking for water found a pitcher half 
full. But he could not reach the water with his bill 
neither could he overturn the pitcher with his wings. At 
last he thought of a way. Gathering pebbles one at a 
time, he dropped them into the pitcher, until the water 
rose nearly to the edge. Then he drank his fill. 



31. A FRIEND IN NEED. 



In Indianapolis, Ind., recently, a blind horse wandered 
into the river near a bridge, and getting beyond his depth, 
swam around in a circle in his efforts to find his way out. 
His distress attracted the attention of a horse near by 
that instantly went to his assistance. He first went 
to the water's edge and tried to direct the blind 
horse by neighing, but finding he did not succeed, he 
boldly swam to his relief. After swimming around him 
a while, he caught the halter in his mouth, and the two 
horses came to shore, side by side, amid the cheers of the 
spectators who had assembled to watch them. 



43 



32. DIVING FOR SPONGES. 



This is practised from May to September, but only when 
the Sea is calm, and to a depth not beyond fifty feet. The 
diver, having a bag and knife secured to his waist, holds 
a stone in his hand, and plunges into the sea. He cuts 
the sponges as rapidly as he can and thrusts them into 
his bag. When it is time to breathe, he signals by the 
line to which the weight is attached, and his companions 
draw him to the surface. Experienced divers remain 
below nearly four minutes. 



33. THE SWIFTS. 



The swifts look so much like swallows that they are 
commonly called chimney swallows. Their nests are 
built against a wall in some dark place. They are flat and 
open, and made of sticks and straws fastened together 
with glue. Where does the bird get the glue? She 
makes it. When building her nest her mouth " waters," 
as yours does when some dainty food is in sight. But the 
saliva of the swift is like mucilage. It binds the sticks 
to the wall and to each other. The same nest is used 
3'ear after year. 



34. A LOST TEMPER. 

A certain man had a very violent temper, which often 



49 



inatie him very disagreeable. After an angry outburst, 
one of his friends said to him — "John, I am told you have 
lost your temper. I am glad of it, for I hope you will 
find a better one." 



35. THE WOMAN AND THE HEN. 

A certain woman owned a hen, which every day laid a 
golden egg. The woman thought the hen must contain a 
lump of gold and killed her to get possession of it. What 
was her disappointment to find the hen in no wise different 
from others. So she lost her daily gain through desiring 
more. 



36. A TRUE FISH STORY. 



A man once saw a young family of catfish following 
their mother in a creek. He secured them in a net, and 
placed them in a glass globe just two feet from the water. 
The mother fish seemed anxious, and swam about near the 
globe watching her babies. At last she swam into shallow 
water, and wriggling along by the use of her side fins, 
crawled over the dry land to the globe. It must have 
caused her intense suffering, but she bore it for the sake 
of reaching the } r oung fishes. Their captor at once set 
them all at liberty, and they crawled back to the water. 



50 



37. TWO. 



A London physician, of large practise, was busily 
writing in his office when a visitor entered. He could 
not leave his work, so without pausing he said briefly, 
''Take a chair, sir." 

The visitor was indignant. 

"Are you aware, sir, that I am Lord Herbert ?" 

"Take two chairs, sir!" cried the physician, unmoved. 



38. THATELDO. 



A Frenchman once said to Mr. Longfellow that there 
was one American word which he could not understand, 
or find in the dictionary. "What is it asked the poet. 
"Thateldo !" was the reply. 

"I never heard the word," said Longfellow. 

Presently a servant came in to replenish the fire. 
After he had put on a little fuel, Longfellow remarked, 
"That will do." 

"Ha," exclaimed the Frenchman, "that is the very 
word which has troubled me." 



39. A WISE CAT. 



A lady in New Hampshire owned a cat and a canary. 
As she entered her sitting-room one afternoon the cat ran 



51 



to her, put its paws on her dress, and mewed loudly. She 
did not understand, but soon noticed that the cage door 
was open and her canary gone. 

"Kitty, have you killed Dick?" she asked in an angry 
tone. Again the cat mewed, at the same time glancing 
at the top of the window. The upper sash had been 
lowered, and so the bird had made its escape. Soon the 
cat asked to be let out. She was not seen a°;am for three 
days, when she came bringing the canary unhurt, in her 
mouth. 



40. A STRANGE PUNISHMENT. 

In the " Old Colony " days, two men fought a duel in 
Plymouth. They were brought to Governor Bradford 
to be judged. He ordered them to be tied together, head 
to head and feet to feet, as a punishment. The poor 
men were soon ready to promise better ways. Then they 
were released. 



52 



$)XEF[CI£E£ IN jLETTE^^RITIjSQ. 



I. 

Write a letter to a friend who has sent you a copy of 
Eobinson Crusoe. Tell him how you like the book, what 
you have read in it, and thank him for sending it. 



II. 

Mr. John B. Stowe, of Hanover, Mass., sells good 
butter and cheese. Write a letter to him, ordering a tub 
of his best butter to be sent you by express, and asking 
the price of cheese. 



III. 

Write a letter to the publishers of the Youth's Com* 
panion, enclosing payment for a year's subscription. 
Ask to have the paper sent to you. How should you 
send the money ? 

IV. 
My Dear George, 

Can you spend a week of }'our next vacation with me ? 



53 

We will fill it with fun. Please write me at once that 
you will come, and tell me when to look for you. 

Your cousin, 

John Smith. 

Essex, Mass., March 1, 1886. 

Write a reply to the above note, declining the invita- 
tion. Say that you would like to go, and tell why you 
are kept at home. 



You have an appointment to meet a friend in Boston, 
at 127 Tremont St. to-day at three o'clock. Telegraph 
that you cannot go. 



VI. 

A. S. Chaplin, who has a bookstore in Blank, Mass., 
wishes to engage an errand boy. Write a letter asking 
for the position. Tell your age, what your education 
has been, and name some friend who will commend you. 



VII. 

Write to your friend, Amos Brown, a boy who lives in 
Greene, Maine, and ask him to visit you at the Thanks- 
giving vacation. 



54 

VIII. 

Write a letter to a friend, describing a day at your 
school. Speak of the school-house, its situation, size, 
and appearance ; the number and age of the pupils ; the 
studies ; the games at recess. 

IX. 

Middleborough, Mass., June 3, 1886. 
Dear Frank, 

A party of boys and girls are going up the river to- 
morrow, to have a picnic in the grove near the lake. 
We shall enjoy the day much more if you can be with us. 
Bring a lunch and meet us at the landing at nine. 

Your friend, 
John Brown. 

Write to your friend, thanking him for the invitation, 
but saying that you have with you a friend whom you 
cannot leave. 

X. 

Repeat the invitation in IX., including the friend. 



XI. 

Write to Houghton, Mifflin, & Co., Publishers, Boston, 



55 

Mass., ordering a copy of Longfellow's poems, House- 
hold edition, to be sent you by mail. The catalogue 
price is $1.50. How will you send the money? 



XII. 

Write a note asking a friend to take tea with you. 

XIII. 

Write a reply, either accepting or declining the invi- 
tation in XII. 

XIV. 

June 29, 1886. 
Mrs. James Smith, of your town, has sent you a bou- 
quet of beautiful roses. Write a note expressing your 
thanks. 

XV. 

You have two friends, James Smith and John Black. 
Write to James, who lives in Freetown, Mass., and ask 
for John's address. 

XVI. 

Write James's reply to your note. 



56 

XVII. 

Feb. 15, 188-, your school have a sleigh-ride. Write 
a letter to an absent classmate, describing the ride. 

XVIII. 

Write to D. H. Knowlton, Publishers, Farmington, 
Maine, asking them to send you a sample copy of the 
"School World." 

XIX. 

Suppose you are spending the winter at St. Augustine, 
Fla. Write a letter irom there to a friend at home. Tell 
how the climate and vegetation are different from that at 
home. 

XX. 

Write to R. H. White & Co., Boston, Mass. asking 
for samples of black silk and satin. 



57 



£UBJECT)3 FOR Ja^KINQ JLEgjSO^JS, 



WORD PICTURES, 



Along the line of smoky hills 

The crimson forest stands, 
And all daylong the blue-jay calls 
Throughout the autumn lands. 

Now by the brook the maple leans 

With all his glory spread, 
And all the sumachs on the hills 

Have turned their green to red. 

Now by great marshes wrapt in mist, 

Or by some river's mouth, 
Through all the long still autumn day 

Wild birds are flying south. — 



SUGGESTIONS. 

What do you think would be a suitable name for these 
verses? Why? What season is described? How do 
you know? What is meant by "smoky hills?" When do 
the hills have that appearance? What is the "glory" of 
the maple? Why do the wild birds fly south? When? 
When do they return ? 



58 

II. 

There's a wonderful weaver high up in the air, 
And he weaves a white mantle for cold earth to wear. 
With the wind for his shuttle, the cloud for his loom, 
How he weaves, in the light, in the gloom ! 
Oh, with finest of laces he decks bush and tree ; 
On the bare flinty meadows a cover lays he. 
Then a quaint cap he places on pillar and post; 
And he changes the pump to a grim silent ghost, 
But this wonderful weaver grows weary at last, 
And the shuttle lies idle that once flew so fast, 
Then the sun peeps abroad on the work that is done, 
And he smiles ; "I'll unravel it all, just for fun." 

— Cooper. 

SUGGESTIONS. 

What is a weaver? a shuttle? a loom? a mantle? 
Who is this weaver? What are the ''finest of laces" 
spoken of here? What does " decks" mean here? 
What cover is laid on the meadows? What does 
"quaint" mean? Pillar? Why is the wind called the 
"shuttle?" What is meant by its lying idle? 



III. 

Wildly round our woodland quarters 
Sad-voiced autumn grieves; 

Thickly down these swelling waters 
Float his fallen leaves. 



59 

Through the tall and naked timber, 

Column-like and old, 
Gleam the sunsets of November, 

From their skies of gold. 

O'er us, to the southland heading 

Screams the gray wild-goose ; 
On the night-frost sounds the treading 

Of the brindled moose. 

Noiseless creeping, while we're sleeping, 

Frost his task work plies, 
Soon his icy bridges heaping 

Shall our log piles rise. 

— Whittier. 

SUGGESTIONS. 

To whom do you think " our " refers ? What "waters " 
must be meant? What shows you that the season is 
autumn? What is meant by " skies of gold"? Describe 
the timber. Describe the sounds spoken of here. Why 
is there an apostrophe in o'er? Put the verses into prose. 



IV. 

The ocean old, 

Centuries old, 

Strong as youth and as uncontrolled, 

Paces restless to and fro, 
Up and down the sands of gold. 

His beating heart is not at rest; 
And far and wide 
With ceaseless flow, 
His beard of snow 

Heaves with the heaving of his breast. 

— Longfellow. 



60 

SUGGESTIONS. 

What is the meaning of " paces"? Has the ocean a 
" beating hearts 5 ? How is it described here? What 
does the poet name " his beard of snow "? What " the 
heaving of his breast"? If the ocean were not named 
here, would yon think of it from the description? Why? 
Why did the poet write " restless " rather than "restful" ? 
What are " sands of gold " ? 



The thrush that carols at the dawn of day 

From the green steeples o£ the piny wood ; 
The oriole in the elm ; the noisy jay 

Jargoning like a foreigner at his food, 
The bluebird balanced on some topmost spray, 

Flooding with melody the neighborhood, 
Linnet and meadow lark, and all the throng 
That dwell in nest, and have the gift of song. 

Do you never think what wondrous beings these? 

Do you never think who made them and who taught 
The dialect they speak, where melodies 

Alone are the interpreters of thought? 
Whose household words are songs in many keys, 

Sweeter than instrument of man e'er caught, 
Whose habitations in the tree-tops even, 
Are half-way houses on the way to heaven. 

— Longfellow. 

SUGGESTIONS, 

What is meant by "dawn of day " ? "Green steeples"? 
"Piny wood"? "Carols" ? Another name for the oriole? 



61 

Describe the bird and its nest. Is noisy an appropriate 
adjective to use with jay? What is meant by the ex- 
pression " flooding with melody," &c. 



VI. 

Still sits the school-house by the road, 

A ragged beggar sunning, 
Around it still the sumach grows 

And blackberry vines are running 

Within the master's desk is seen, 

Deep-scarred by raps official, 
The warping floor, the battered seats, 

The jack-knife's carved initial. 

The charcoal frescoes on the wall, 

The door's worn sill, betraying 
The feet that, creeping slow to school, 

Went storming out to playing. 

— Whittier. 



SUGGESTIONS. 

"What do the lines describe? What do you see around 
the school-house? Where does sumach grow? How 
does it look? Where do blackberries grow? What kinds 
do you know? What is meant by " the jack-knife's 
carved initial"? " Charcoal frescoes"? Write the 
verses in your own words. 



62 



VII. 

O for boyhood's painless play, 
Sleep that wakes in laughing day. 
Health that mocks the doctor's rules, 
Knowledge never learned of schools, 
Of the wild bee's morning chase, 
Of the wild flower's time and place, 
Flight of fowl, and habitude 
Of the tenants of the v; ood. 
How the tortoise bears his shell, 
How the wood-chuck digs his cell, 
And the ground-mole sinks his well ; 
How the robin feeds her young, 
Where the oriole's nest is hung. 



SUGGESTIONS. 



Whittier. 



Of what poem is this a part ? What does the poet say 
of boyhood's play? Why? What knowledge is spoken 
of? Where is the "wild bee's morning chase"? For 
what? What wild flowers do 3011 know? Where do they 
grow? When? What is meant by u flight of fowl" ? 
Name some " tenants of the wood." 



VIII. 

It is only the tiniest stream 

With nothing whatever to do 
But to creep from its mosses, and gleam 

In just a thin ribbon or two, 
Where it spills from the rock, and besprinkles 

The flowers all round it with dew. 



63 



Half-way up the hillside it slips 

From darkness out into the light, 
Slides over the ledges, and drips 

In a basin all bubbling and bright, 
Then again in the long meadow grasses 

In silence it sinks out of sight. 

— J. T. Trowbridge. 



SUGGESTIONS. 

Describe the stream, as you see it. What do you see 
about it? Where have you seen one like it? Of what 
brook do you think as you read this ? What is a ledge ? 
What causes a cascade or waterfall ? Why does the writer 
use the expression, " thin ribbon "? 



IX. 

Give me of your bark, O birch-tree, 
Of your yellow bark, O birch-tree, 
Growing by the rushing river 
Tall and stately in the valley. 
I a light canoe will build me 
That shall float upon the river 
Like a yellow leaf in autumn, 
Like a yellow water-lily. 
Thus aloud cried Hiawatha 
In the solitary forest, 
And the tree with all its branches 
Rustled in the breeze of morning 
Saying, with a sigh of patience, 
"Take my cloak, O Hiawatha." 



Longfellow. 



64 

SUGGESTIONS. 

Who is speaking in the verses? To what? What does 
Hiawatha ask? Whj T ? How is a canoe made? What is 
the use of a canoe? What people use canoes? What 
does " solitary" mean? Why is the tree represented as 
speaking ? 



X. 

Under a spreading chestnut tree 

The village smithy stand ; 
The smith, a mighty man is he, 

With large and sinewy hands, 
And the muscles of his brawny arms 

Are strong as iron bands. 

Week in, week out, from morn till night, 
You can hear his bellows blow; 

You can hear him swing his heavy sledge 
With measured beat anc}, slow, 

Like a sexton ringing the village bell 
When the evening sun is low. 



SUGGESTIONS, 

What is a smithy? Where is this one? Describe the 
smith. Why are the muscles of his arms so strong? 
What is meant by the expression " week in, week out" ? 
What two pictures in the second? In what are they 
alike ? 



65 



*QCCUPATI0J^ j.EJSjSONg. 



1. Write ten sentences in which you use the word 
house. 

2. Write ten things about the school-house. 

3. Write sentences containing the names of the colors. 
Ex. I saw a red rose in the garden. 

4. Write as many sentences as you can, describing the 
town. 

5. Write the story of Jane, telling who Jane was, where 
she lived, and what she did. 

6. Write the story of John, telling who John was, 
where he lived, and what he did. 

7. Write ten lines of poetry from memory. 

8. Write a list of proper names. 

9. Write a list of nouns ending in y, and use their 
plurals in sentences. 

10. Write a list of nouns ending in o, and use their 
plurals in sentences. 

11. Write ten sentences requiring quotation marks. 



06 

12. Write ten sentences containing words in which the 
apostrophe is required. 

13. Write a paragraph describing the process of making 
hay. 

14. Write a list of verbs denoting past time. 

15. Describe the interior of a blacksmith's shop. 

16. When are huckleberries ripe? Where do they 
grow? What is their use? Have you ever picked 
huckleberries? When? Where? How many? Write 
all you can about it. 

17. Boys' games. Name as many as you know, and 
tell how to play them. 

18. Write ten sentences, each of which shall contain 
two capitals. 

19. Write five truths you have learned in school and 
five you have learned out of school. 

20. Write a note to your mother, asking if you can go 
to Boston Saturday. 

21. Write ten sentences, and separate the subject from 
the predicate in each. 

22. Write as many sentences as you can about an 
apple-tree. 

23. Write a list of the different flowers that you know, 
and make sentences telling where they grow. 

24. Write a description of your walk to school this 



67 

morning, telling all that you saw and heard. 

25. What are the differences between a pine and a 
maple tree? Write them, and tell where each tree is 
found. 

26. Write full directions for making molasses candy. 

27. Describe a wheelbarrow, telling how it is made and 
how used. 

28. Where is iron found? How obtained? How 
manufactured ? For what is it used ? 

29. Name all the birds }'ou know, and write all you can 
of their habits. 

30. Write sentences telling all the signs of spring. 

31. Write full directions for building a stone wall ; for 
making a fire ; for washing dishes. 

32. Write as many differences as you have noticed 
between a duck and a hen. 

33. Make as many sentences as you can containing the 
word summer. 

34. Make as many sentences as 37011 can containing the 
word good. 

35. Tell how to make a kite, and how to fly it. 

36. Tell how to plant and care for a field of corn. 

37. Tell five things you should remember in writing a 
letter. 



68 

38. Write a list of books you have read, and tell the 
story of one. 

39. Write in sentences the uses of paper. 

40. Write a paragraph describing some field you know. 

41. Name all the kinds of trees you know, and tell 
something about each kind. 

42. Write ten things you have learned in Geography. 

43. Make believe that you are following a brook from 
its source to the sea, and write what you would see. 

44. Describe a boy's Saturday. 

45. Describe a girl's Saturday. 

46. Suppose yourself in the place of a horse named 
Dobbin. Describe a day, tell how you were fed and 
oared for, when driven and how, and what you think of 
it. 

47. Name all the trades or occupations you can think 
of, in this way, — 

A man who paints is a painter. 

A woman who sews is a seamstress. 

48. What is wool? What are its uses? 

49. What is cotton? What are its uses? 

50. Name twenty things that are made of wool. 
61. Describe a rainy day in the house. 

52. Write in sentences the names of as many fruits as 
you know. Ex. The acorn is the fruit of the oak. 



69 

53. Write in sentences the names of ten different places. 

54. Write a paragraph describing the church. 

55. Write ten sentences telling some of the uses of 
glass. 

56. Write five differences between summer and winter. 

57. Write a story you have re|id. 

58. Describe the railroad station. 

59. Write sentences naming different articles of fur- 
niture, with their uses. 

60. Write sentences describing a day at school. 

61. Write ten questions. 

62. Write ten commands. 

63. Write ten directions for good behavior. 

64. Write five differences between a rude and a 
thoughtful person. 

65. Write in ten sentences ten things you like to do. 
6Q. Write ten pairs of words that rhyme, as wait, fate, 

right, light. 

67. Describe some cat you have seen, and tell what its 
food is, and what its habits are. 

68. Write a " Journey round a room," and tell what 
you see. 

69. Write the history of a pine tree. Tell how it 
grew, where, when it was cut down, how it was made into 



70 

boards and shingles, where they travelled and how they 
were used, with what they saw. 

70. Write the story of a cent. 

71. Write an advertisement describing a lost horse. 

72. Describe a picnic. 

73. Write ten sentences whose subject shall be Wash- 
ington. 

74. Write ten sentences requiring exclamation points. 

75. Write the history of an old Arithmetic. Tell what 
it has seen and how it has been used. 




US 

III 



WBm 




